Game fish such as the striped bass and blue fish are attracted to and bite at a fishing lure based on factors including its size and shape. Game fish are also attracted to a lure based on its motion in the water when a fishing line attached to the lure is tugged. Fishing lures have been designed to mimic particularly the attractive movements of game fish natural prey, e.g., the surface popping of a prey fish has been imitated by lures that create a significant splash when an attached fishing line is tugged. Other lures when tugged will move side to side in a darting motion and still others will dive and wiggle.
Efforts to impart these prey-mimicking actions to game fish lures have included multicomponent lure designs as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,920. However, multicomponent configurations suffer from disadvantages including complexity of manufacture and failure of component parts during use. Casting of these lures into the water can also be hindered by their shape, which can also limit the length of line casting or interfere with the intended direction of casting. Additionally, known lures are limited in their ability to replicate simultaneously a variety of prey fish actions when tugged. When tugged, they may either dive and wiggle or dart along the surface of the water but not simultaneously mimic each of these movements realistically, thereby lessening their appeal to a game fish.
Another disadvantage of known lures configured to mimic the movement of prey fish is that their designs do not ensure the secure fixation of fish hooks attached to the lure. Absent secure fixation, attached fish hooks may loosen or separate from the lure upon casting or when bitten.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a game fish lure which closely replicates the shape and movement of a prey fish attractive to game fish, particularly those game fish indigenous to the northeastern United States. It is another object of the present invention to provide a prey fish-shaped lure which incorporates the advantages of both simplicity of design and close replication of natural prey fish movement. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a game fish lure which, when its appended fishing line is tugged, mimics simultaneously a number of attractive prey fish movements, including sideways darting, diving beneath the water surface, and wiggling, thereby having an enhanced appeal to game fish species such as the striped bass and bluefish. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a game fish lure which both mimics simultaneously a number of prey fish movements and provides for secure fastening of attached fish hooks.